The present invention relates to a positioning device and to a massager provided with this positioning device. The massager includes a massager body and a movable massage element mounted to the massager body and being able to reciprocate. In the massager, the positioning device is used for adjusting a reference height position of the movable massage element with respect to the massager body.
In some of conventional chair type massagers including neck massage elements, the neck massage element can adjust a reference height position in up and down directions along a back rest. This is because a height of a predetermined position of a neck at which a user sitting on a chair body (massager body) of the massager desires to be massaged is different from each other among a plurality of people. Therefore, in a massager having a movable massage element whose reference height position can be adjusted, whenever a different user sits on the chair body (massager body), the movable massage element are moved in the up and down directions to adjust the reference height position such that the movable massage element is disposed in the predetermined height at which the user sitting on the chair body (massager body) desires to be massaged.
In such a conventional chair type massager, the reference height position of the movable massage element is adjusted by moving a movable member which supports the movable massage element in the back rest in the up and down directions by a mechanical driving mechanism embedded in the back rest. The mechanical driving mechanism includes an electric motor, a reduction gear device for decelerating a rotation of an output shaft of the electric motor, and a driving force transmitting mechanism for transmitting the decelerated driving force from the reduction gear device to the movable member supporting the movable massage element.
However, in such a conventional mechanical driving mechanism, whenever the reference height position of the movable massage element is adjusted, operating noise of the electric motor, meshing noise of gears of the reduction gear device and operating noise of the driving force transmitting mechanism are generated and thus, great noise is generated. Further, the electric motor and the reduction gear device are heavy and expensive.
The present invention has been derived from the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a positioning device and a massager provided with such a positioning device capable of suppressing noise generated during adjusting operation of a reference height position of a movable massage element, and capable of reducing a weight and a manufacturing cost.